Adolescent compliance as a research participant can be maximized by attending to rapport, building trust, and ensuring privacy of self-report data to the extent that is ethical and feasible to the setting. For behavioral tasks within or outside of imaging, it is critical to ensure participants comprehend task instructions, are fully trained on fMRI tasks, and then are given reminders just prior to task administration. Motion during scan acquisition is detrimental to the quality of imaging data, and is often worse in younger adolescents than older teens or adults. Adolescent head motion can be minimized by the following steps: discuss the importance and rationale for keeping the head still multiple times before and at the scan appointment; model and practice how to say “yes” and “no” when communicating with the research subject from the scanner; model and practice techniques for relaxing and ensuring subjects are in a position suitable for long-term comfort (e.g., legs are not crossed) before scanning begins; maximize participant comfort by using soft cushions around the head and under the knees; and many studies, especially those with
